Masonry Buildings

What are Masonry Buildings?

Masonry structures are buildings made of individual units of bricks or stones which are often laid in and bound together by mortar. Masonry is commonly used for building walls. Brick and concrete blocks are the most common types of masonry in use in most countries and may be either load-bearing or non-load-bearing. These refer to buildings in which modern materials are applied. And in this regard, we refer to buildings with ceilings and modern materials such as the concrete-block joists, concrete slabs and walls made of pressed red or coloured bricks, cement blocks, etc. The foundations of these types of constructions are typically made of reinforced concrete material.

The Advantages:
1. The use of bricks or masonry units does increase the thermal mass of buildings.
2. Masonry structures are resistant to natural hazards such as tornadoes and hurricanes.
3. It won’t burn which makes it good for building fireplaces.
4. Masonry has a long design life. There are masonry structures that have lasted for a century or millennia.
5. It can decorate an area, depending on the skilled mason utilised.
6. Masonry does not spoil or rot in any way. Insects or termites do not disturb masonry structures.
7. Masonry can withstand high compressive weight loads (vertical loads).

The Disadvantages:
1. The installation requires intense skill, manpower and construction time.
2. If adequate foundations are not designed for, masonry structures can lead to the sinking of the structure as compared to its timber counterpart.
3. Its materials are quite heavy therefore delivery and handling of the masonry on site can be challenging.
4. Masonry structures rely completely on their foundation for stability. This simply states that as the house settles, cracks that do occur can let in the moisture. If these cracks do not get corrected, the resulting moisture intrusion can cause structural issues, which can lead to general deterioration of the structure including collapse of the masonry structure.

Special Use cases of Masonry

1. Masonry is one of the best ways to add beauty and grandeur to any construction.
2. They are used to make the walls of buildings.
3. They can be used as retaining walls.
4. They are applied in monument construction.

They are used to make the best fire places.

We at Vanguard Solutions can assist our clients in the design of masonry wall panels and columns by simply applying modern technologies.
We apply the latest design techniques to get more than just the traditional masonry construction. The design and analysis in all steps make for an accurate and complex understanding of the resisted forces, which allows us to push the boundaries of clay, blockwork and stone.